Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-05-26
bows and bootblacks of Kent Brainard's

all hours of the day and night.
He also owned Il cattle-ranch in Yves
ern Kansas, and was the protector of
new railroad; so. even il he had bee
other than the handsome bachelor h
was, the girls of Brainardyille woul
have deemed him u golden prize in tn
matrimonial pool
But he had fought his way up iron
the ranks, and now seemed to see il
every ragged boy a counterpart of hi
old self, as he ran errauds, sold news
papers, aud did everything possible t.
aid his frail, pretty little mother in he
struggle for bare bread and lcakin!
roof
So he founded q lodging-housc TO
poor boys, established II miss,O school
and devoted every moment that III
could spare from business to the eleva,
ton OF the little ragamuflins, who ador,
cd him with all their warm hearts
80 odd of him. said Rosa Bolifn,
pretty girl with blonde, hair. long
eye-lashes, which she made the most of
and pretty guesture and tricks of eN
preston, which she practiced daily b.
fore mirror.
But, nevertheless, she developed ala
unsupported vein of piety, and took a
class in the mission school, whore she
beamed upon the thirteen boys that fell
to her share as sweetly and sunnily as
was possible for any one to do whose
heart was seething all the time with de-
testation for themselves and theiE
FRANKS.
The children had finished gorging'
themselves upon substantial lunch
of the mission school were seated at an
especial table as Miss Boflin's invited
guests.
1t was decked with the dantest nap
perry, bright silver and colored glass
ware and loaded with the most tempt
ing of lunches, yet Kent Brainard' s
glance kept rowing toward his adven-
turous Youngsters.
won't you have another peach, Mr..
Brainard?" said Rosa, sweetly.
THAT foolhardy little Tom Matthews
will certainly fall said Kent. absently,
as he watched n little carrot headed
fellow climbing ike monkey to the
very topmost bough of hickory tree
Il wish lie Uo"M fall! wish every
ragamuflin in the world would break
his good.fOr-nOthing little neck, and
then perhaps Kent Brainard would
have eyes and ears for other pcople!"
Rosa brcathcd into the little pink ear
of Mamie st. John. another pretty
mission teacher.
Rosa's pity was evidently only thia
veneering.
"Oh, suppose he's training up Tom
Matthews crOsS-cyed little sister, Bid
dy, for his wife He appears to be just
iJatutted with the s;ums!" whispered
Mamie, in return, making little grim
mace of pretty disdain.
Another peach. did you say, Miss
Rosa? inquired Kent, after he had
watched little Tom decend in safety.
Yes thank you, | WW have one.
Those great, yellow, rose-tintcd globes
are precisely my idea of ambrosia!"
But fat young man who was de-
voted to Mamie St. John. and likewise
to the good things of this world, had
helped himself to the last peach in the
cut-glaSS dish. and rs Rosa tilted the
tin can, TO renew the supply, some
thing fell with the peaches something
that proclaimed Itself as brightly as
gold when an arrow of sunlight caught
it.
1t was lOckct with the inscription
AUNT Kate to Little Kit traced on
one side, as Kent discovered, after i'm
it in the goblet Of water. and
wiping it with n napkin which blazed
with the Botlin "5." done in red, etch-
Ing-silk.
Kent opened it curiously and stud
led the face within attentively.
Frank, sweet eyes of the darkest
blue met his own; saucv. tender
mouth laughed up at him; anG he
could almost fancy that the dinple
nesting in the sweet-pea cheek deep
cned beneath his gaze, so overlooking
with radiant life was the girlish face.
How romantic'' echoed Mamie
St. John, pecping over his shoulder.
Now" of course, you will trace the
peaches from Johnson's, where Rosa
bought them, TO the place where
they were canned, and never rest till
you have found the fair original, when
the thing will and in cream colored
satin and the Wedding March,
Thank you for the sugges tion!
said Kent, his dark eyes sparkling
mischievouslv.
Nonsense" broke in Rosa, trifie
artly for she didn't relish this trifling.
Mr.. Brainard will never care half rs
much for any woman as he does for
little Tom Matthew, Billy jenkins and
The rest of the ragged crew."
Ills said that every man meets with
his Waterloo in the form of some fair
Even Michael Angelo and his
VittOria Colonna, and why should not
Kent Brainard, that rugged old bache-
Tor with phebeian tastes" waving his |
shapely hand toward the ragged
crew. in quest on, "have his 'Kate?'"
laughed Kent.
Many true word is spoken in Jest,
however, and Rosa would have felt the
misty foundations of her rapidly rising
nir-castle beginning to melt away,
could she have seen Kent carefully lay
away the little locket in the pink satin
folds of glove-case that she had Civ
en- him for Christmas, as he soliloquiz-
ed:
"Why shouldn't / at least trace out |
little Kit, and give her back her lock-
et?"